Revisiting the Roughriders' visit to Winnipeg

The regularly scheduled Leader-Post-mortem once again has suitably sombre overtones.

After dissecting a Saskatchewan Roughriders victory for three weeks in succession, the time has arrived to delve into a defeat — Saturday’s 48-28 CFL loss to the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Ready, set …

NICHOLS AND DIMES

For the second successive week, Roughriders head coach and general manager Chris Jones seldom called for his defence to rush Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols with more than four men.

The results, however, were markedly different from one game to the next.

On Sept. 3, when the Roughriders downed the visiting Blue Bombers 38-24, Jones’ defence rushed with more than four only 8.5 per cent of the time — profuse thanks to TSN’s Derek Taylor for kindly sharing his pass-rush data — and the approach was largely successful.

On Saturday, Jones sent more than four rushers 5.3 per cent of the time — and not once until the fourth quarter — but Nichols repeatedly lacerated the Saskatchewan defence while delivering some precise passes (dimes, in other words) to a variety of open targets.

Nichols had frequently been forced to check down to shorter passes during the Labour Day Classic, in which only 27.1 per cent of Winnipeg’s throws travelled 10 yards or more.

In the rematch, by contrast, a whopping 60 per cent of Nichols’ throws were in 10-plus territory. The previous high against Saskatchewan this season was 51.2.

The average length of Nichols’ passes increased from 7.1 yards (Sept. 3) to 11.7 (Saturday).

Per Derek’s data, the Roughriders emphasized a four-man rush (used 71 per cent of the time) on Saturday. The three-man rush was employed with 24-per-cent frequency. A five-man rush was called on two occasions. Jones never sent six or seven rushers.

RIDERS IN A FOGG

The Blue Bombers — and Kevin Fogg, in particular — fooled the Roughriders in a punting situation.

In the second quarter, the Roughriders’ Josh Bartel launched a 45-yard punt that went to his left. However, Fogg — the primary returner on the play — acted as though he was preparing to field the ball on the right side after making a bee-line in that direction. To sell the ruse, one member of the Bombers animatedly pointed toward the right.

Greg Morris and Eric Radford, who were the first Roughriders players downfield, were influenced by Fogg’s deception. Most members of Saskatchewan’s, er, coverage team closed in on Fogg.

But there was the Bombers’ Maurice Leggett, retrieving the ball on the left side. Three members of the Roughriders — Mike Edem, Kevin Francis and Aaron Milton — were aware of what was happening, but to no avail.

After Duron Carter signed with the Roughriders in January, some skeptics wondered whether the controversial wide receiver would be a distraction.

Let the record show that Carter is, in fact, a distraction — to opposing defences.

Consider the past two games against Winnipeg. In each contest, a fake handoff to Carter was used to set up a long touchdown pass from Kevin Glenn to Naaman Roosevelt.

On Sept. 3, the fakery involving Carter — who was sprinting from right to left, parallel to the line of scrimmage — froze the Bombers’ defence. Glenn then found a wide-open Roosevelt for a 53-yard pass-and-run major.

Six days henceforth, offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo called for the same right-to-left routine from Carter. He attracted the attention of Bombers defensive backs Chris Randle and TJ Heath, both of whom headed in the direction of Carter.

Carter was again a decoy. Roosevelt lined up in the right slot, without having a defender anywhere in the 204 area code, and ran a post pattern. A 75-yard major resulted. Pitch and catch.

Earlier, Carter had scored on an 88-yard collaboration with Glenn.

Saskatchewan registered two passing plays of 75-plus yards in the same game for the first time since Sept. 1, 1996, when Kevin Mason found Curtis Mayfield for majors of 85 and 87 yards.

In summation, the Bombers should have been more concerned about fake handoffs than fake injuries.

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